- Balding can occur by a number of factors including aging, skin conditions, poor nutrition, certain medications, stress, and most commonly, genetic influences. When balding occurs as a result of an inherited genetic disorder, it is referred to as Androgenic Alopecia, also known as Male Pattern Baldness. If at the time you were born, the genes responsible for hair loss were present, you will likely experience hair loss upon reaching adulthood. Contrary to popular belief, balding is not inherited from the mother's father; rather, both parents contribute to a child's likelihood of hair loss. Hair loss cannot be brought on by poor hair care.
- DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is a powerful sex hormone that promotes hair growth and can sometimes adversely affect the hair on your head. When the genes responsible for hair loss are present, they make the hair follicles on your head sensitive to DHT. Follicles affected by the DHT will be predisposed to shrinkage upon adulthood.
- DHT will initiate follicular miniaturization, in which the hair follicle decreases in size until the hair becomes thin and fragile. As the follicles shrink, only thin and fine hairs are produced, and those fail to grow to a normal length. A receding hairline will begin to show until the follicles fail to produce any hair at all, resulting in baldness.
